For four months the MANAS staff brainstormed for the facility's next show. They try to search for an affordable object that strikes a universal note that will resonate well within the artistic community, Sutherland said.

"It's not just art on the walls," he said. "We aim to inspire — that's our whole theme."

The community responded well to the call for keys. Artists who don't have a place to showcase their work can do it there.

"It gives them a theme to be fully engaged in their process," he said. "Which I think any artist wants and can respond to."

Submitted pieces explore more than the symbolism of keys unlocking something abstract.

The literal interpretation can be found among submitted entries, but the unveiling of back stories brings this showcase and community together.

Mixed mediums of quilted tapestries, glued keys on a heart-shaped frame, beautiful voluptuous women cast in neon oil paintings and Lego's all embody some sort of literal or symbolic "key."

Sutherland will have four of his own pieces on display and one piece he collaborated on with a friend.

"My process as an artist involves chance, a mediated, intuitive state during the process," he said. "If I know what I'm going to do, it's not worth doing. The beauty of the art is in the spontaneity of how the objects come together in that state of creation."

At the reception guests can expect electronic musical selections by Ayrian and refreshments. Anecdotes, poems and songs about keys are welcomed. Doors open at 7 p.m. MANAS will announce the next open-entry art show theme at the Friday reception.